Sense 6 Up and Running on Nexus 5

In a market of bloated Android skins, the purpose of a Nexus device is to provide fans with a pure Android experience. Next to price, it’s the reason why consumers are so attracted to a handset like the Nexus 5 in the first place, which helped usher in the KitKat era. So why would someone compromise such righteousness? We’ll let the XDA developers answer that, who managed to port the HTC One (M8) ROM over to the Nexus 5.

Among the handful of Android skins around (not counting Moto X), HTC’s take on Android is easily one of the more enjoyable options. And now that it’s been updated to Sense 6, the company’s take on Android is the best it’s ever been. So perhaps it really is no surprise that someone would want to see it running on Google’s simple black handset. It’s not stuffed inside of a package quite as nice as the M8, but you do get the benefit of an 8-megapixel camera.

The thing about this early port is that it’s still in alpha, so don’t expect to use Sense 6 on your Nexus 5 as a daily driver. Unless you’re really committed to testing the buggy software out, we advise you to refrain from using this on your Nexus 5 until the ROM is complete. However, some of the most important features are already working, such as the touchscreen, SIM card detection, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, among others.

Folks in the XDA developers forums have a reputation for working swiftly, so we might see a near-final build soon. For now, it’s neat to see other takes on Android end up in unusual places. The attraction to turn a pure version of Android into a skinned variety might not be high on a lot of users’s lists, but at least the option is coming.